Prestacking device for printing press sheet feeding apparatus

ABSTRACT

Sheet feeding apparatus for printing presses having a stacking table guide for guiding sheets prestacked on a stacking table to the sheet feeding apparatus is combined with a sheet prestacking device located adjacent a side of the stacking table guide, and swivel means located adjacent another side of the guide and formed with a pair of jaws defining a space therebetween wherein an empty stacking table is receivable from the guide, the swivel means being pivotable with an empty stacking table received in the space between the jaws to a position remote from the guide so as to free the guide for guiding a stacking table prestacked with sheets from the sheet prestacking device to an operative position adjacent the sheet feeding apparatus.

United States Patent Inventor Artur Buttner Heidelberg, Germany Appl. No. 837,960 Filed June 30, 1969 Patented June 22, 1971 Assignee lleidelberger Druckmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft Heidelberg, Germany Priority June 29, 1968 Germany P 17 61 728.6

PRESTACKING DEVICE F OR PRINTING PRESS SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 214/6, 214/ 1 Int. Cl B65g 57/00 Field 01 Search 214/6, 6 P,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,448,693 6/1969 Graham 104/48 2,678,139 5/1954 Gildersleeve 214/8324 Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examinerlohn Mannix Attorneys-Curt M. Avery, Arthur E. Wilfond, Herbert L.

Lerner and Daniel J. Tick ABSTRACT: Sheet feeding apparatus for printing presses having a stacking table guide for guiding sheets prestacked on a stacking table to the sheet feeding apparatus is combined with a sheet prestacking device located adjacent a side of the stacking table guide, and swivel means located adjacent another side of the guide and formed with a pair of jaws defining a space therebetween wherein an empty stacking table is receivable from the guide, the swivel means being pivotable -with an empty stacking table received in the space between the jaws to a position remote from the guide so as to free the guide for guiding a stacking table prestacked with sheets from the sheet prestacking device to an operative position adjacent the sheet feeding apparatus.

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PATENTEU JUN22 I97| SHEEY 2 [1F 2 FIG.2

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HRESTACIG DEVICE FOR PRINTING PRESS SHEET FEEDWG AHARATUS My invention relates to prestacking device for sheet feeding apparatus and more particularly, for such apparatus in printing presses and sheet processing machines having a stacking table guide for guiding prestacked sheets from the prestacking device to the feeding apparatus.

Prestacking devices for sheets at feed apparatus for printing presses and sheet processing machines are already known wherein the respective prestacking device is located directly behind the stack proper which is being processed. Such an arrangement is advantageous for such machines wherein the sheet feeding mechanism is not located above the place where the imprinted sheets are stacked up.

For those printing presses or sheet processing machines having sheet feeding devices located above the imprinted sheet stacking location, which is the case for example for many high speed cylinder presses, the lateral arrangement of the prestacking device is preferred. By this means, clear visibility of the imprinted stack of sheets is provided during the operation of the printing press and is not hampered by the prestacking of the sheets which is carried out during the operation of the printing press.

The prestacking device of the last mentioned type is subject to a disadvantage however in that the empty stacking table must be manually removed from the guide rails which extend from the prestacking device to the sheet feeding mechanism and must again be replaced on the guide rails after a full stack of sheets on a different stacking table has been guided by the guiding rails to a position adjacent to the feeding mechanism for processing thereof.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide prestacking device for printing press sheet feeding apparatus which avoids the foregoing disadvantage of the heretofore known prestacking devices of this general type. More specifically, it is an object of my invention to greatly reduce the work necessary to be performed by servicing personnel and to reduce the time required for prestacking the sheets by means of the prestacking device of my invention.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I provide according to my invention in combination with sheet feeding apparatus for printing presses and sheet processing machines having a stacking table guide for guiding sheets prestacked on a stacking table to the sheet feeding apparatus, a sheet prestacking device located adjacent a side of the stacking table guide, and swivel means located adjacent another side of the stacking table guide and formed with a pair of jaws defining a space therebetween wherein an empty stacking table is receivable from the stacking table guide, the swivel means being pivotable with an empty stacking table received in the space between the jaws to a position remote from the stacking table guide so as to free the stacking table guide for guiding a stacking table prestacked with sheets from the sheet prestacking device to an operative position adjacent the sheet feeding apparatus.

After the full stack of sheets has been guided to the feeding apparatus of the sheet processing machine or printing press and the machine or press has been placed in operation once again, the swivel means and the empty stacking table received in the space between the jaws thereof are again pivotable to the stacking table guide and guidable on the latter to the sheet prestacking device.

The relatively convenient and nontaxing servicing of the prestacking device in accordance with the invention results in an increase in daily production which is of an especially great value in the processing of cardboard for example since, due to the thickness of the cardboard, the replacement of new stacks of the cardboard as they are processed must take place very frequently.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in prestaclting device for printing press sheet feeding apparatus, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a stacking or feed table guide of a cylinder printing press with a swivel mechanism according to my invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1 showing parts of the cylinder printing press;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 2 showing the swivel mechanism of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the guide rails of the stacking table guide of FIG. 1 and the bearing balls of the stacking table travelling therein.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown therein a cylinder printing press 2 which, when viewed from the rear thereof (from the bottom side as viewed in FIG. 1) is provided on its right hand side with a prestacking device 1 which can be prestacked with sheets, during operation of the cylinder printing press 2, for subsequent imprinting. The sheets are piled up on a stacking table 3 which is supported by bearing balls 4 (FIG. 5) on guide rails 5,5 of a stacking table guide 6. The guide rails 5,5 are formed at the upper surface thereof with an elongated groove having an arcuate cross section in which the bearing balls 4 are received. The bearing balls 4 are suitably mounted for rotation on the underside of the supporting surface member 3 of the stacking table, and travel in the elongated arcuate recess formed in the guide rails 5,5. The stacking table guide 6 is disposed in a horizontal plane and has two guide rails 5 extending transversely to the longitudinal axis A of the cylinder printing press. The guide rails 5 are crossed by a suitably spaced pair of guide rails 5' extending in the direction of the printing press axis A toward the sheet feed table 7 thereof. A second stacking table 3 carrying a stack of sheets 8 being imprinted is located in front of the feed table 7 as viewed in the direction of the elongated guide rails 5'. Below the feed table 7, as viewed in FIG. 2, the stack of imprinted sheets 9 are located so that it can be very readily accessible to the servicing or operating personnel.

A swivel mechanism 10 is secured to the stacking table guide 6 at the side thereof facing away from the prestacking device I as shown in FIG. I. The swivel mechanism 10 is shown in enlarged view in FIG. 4 and is formed essentially of a bracket 11 and pivot member 12 mounted on a pivot pin 13 carried by the bracket. The pivot axis of the pin 13 extends parallel to the horizontal plane in which the stacking table guide 6 is disposed. The pivot member 12 is provided with a forklike or jawlike member 14, the jaws or tines thereof defining a space therebetween which is of such dimension that a lateral edge of the plate member of the stacking table 3 can be inserted therein for a given distance. It is noted however that the plate of the stacking table 3 can only be inserted deeply enough within the space between the jaws 14 when the stacking table is empty, i.e. does not have any sheets piled thereon. After the stacking table plate 3 has been inserted into the space between the jaws of the member 14, both the member 14 and the stacking table plate 3 can be pivoted about the axis 13 of the swivel mechanism 10 in counter clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 4 from the solid line representation of the member 14 and the stacking table plate 3 to the position thereof in phantom. The thus pivoted stacking table describes an are or is turned through an angle of In the pivoted position in phantom in FIG. 4, the pivot member 12 abuts a stop member 15 limiting the angular movement of the stacking table 3 which consequently remains in a slightly inclined vertical position. A nose portion 16 is moreover provided on the pivot member 12 and, in the phantom position of the pivot member 12 shown in FIG. 3 is located above the guide rails 5,5 of the stacking table guide 6. If the servicing or operating personnel then have to change the direction of feed of the paper sheets, the filledstacking table strikes up against this nose portion 16 when the tilled stacking table is slid on to the guide 6.

The operation of the aforedescribed device is as follows:

While the cylinder printing press carries out a printing operation on the sheets 8 stacked onto the stacking table 3 by means of the conventional feeding device or table 7, a new stack of sheets is made ready on the previously positioned stacking table 3 at the laterally disposed prestacking device ll. When the stacking table 3 which is already located in the printing press proper is emptied of the sheets that had been stacked thereon it is withdrawn onto the stacking table guide 6 away from the feed table 7, the bearing balls 4 of the stacking table 3' being rolled in the arcuate groove formed in the guide rails 5. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the left-hand lateral edge of the stacking table 3' becomes aligned with the opening between the jaws of the member M, the bearing balls 4 of the stacking table 3 having reached a position at which the guide rails 5 intersect the guide rails 5'. Servicing personnel can then relatively easily slide vthe empty stacking table 3' 'with a minimum exertion of force so that the bearing balls 4 of the stacking table 3' slide along the guide rails 5 in a direction toward the left-hand side of FIG. 1 and the left-hand side edge of the stacking table 3 can thereby be inserted into the space between the jaws of the member 14 and consequently pivoted into the phantom position thereof shown in FIG. 4. Thereafter, the stacking table 3 stacked with sheets that are to be imprinted is then slid from the prestacking device 1 along the rails 5 as shown in FIG. 1 until the leading edge of the stacking table 3 abuts the nose portion 16 of the pivot member 12 and the bearing balls 4 of the stacking table 3 reach the location at which the guide rails 5' intersect the guide rails 5, and the stacking table 3 is then slid in the direction of the guide rails 5' to the position previously occupied by the stacking table 3' adjacent to the feed table 7 of the printing press where it suitably comes to rest. After the sheets stacked on the stacking table 3 which is now located in the position previously occupied by the stacking table 3' have been fed to the feeding table 7, the printing press can be placed in operation once again.

When printing press is imprinting the sheets from the stacking table 3, servicing personnel can then pivot the member 14 and the stacking table 3', disposed in the space between the jaws thereof, from the phantom position shown in FIG. 4 back to the solid line position thereof, and the empty stacking table 3' can then guided by its bearing balls s along the guide rails 5 back to the prestacking device 1 where it can again be made ready by superimposing a new stack of sheets thereon.

As can be readily seen from FIG. 5, the mounting for the bearing balls 4 is of the universal type so that the bearing balls can readily rotate in any direction, thereby facilitating the change in the direction of movement of the stacking tables 3 and 3 when they are transferred between the guiding rails 5 and 5.

My invention is not limited to the embodiment hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings but rather, the swivel device 10 thereof can be provided with additional counter weights so as to facilitate the pivoting of-the stacking tables to the upright position shown in phantom in FIG. 4. It is moreover possible to locate the swivel device It) adjacent to stacking table guide 6 at the rear side of the printing press i.e., at the bottom of FIG. l, for example, instead of at the lefthand side thereof as shown in FIG. 1.

I claim:

1. In combination with sheet feeding apparatus for printing presses and sheet processing machines having a stacking table guide for guiding sheets prestacked on a stacking table to the sheet feeding apparatus, a sheet prestacking device located adjacent aside of the stacking table guide and swivel means located ad acent another side of the stacking table gulde and formed with a pair of jaws defining a space therebetween wherein an empty stacking table is receivable from the stacking table guide, said swivel means being pivotable with an empty stacking table received in the space between said jaws to a position remote from the stacking table guide so as to free the stacking table guide for guiding a stacking table prestacked with sheets from said sheet prestacking device to an operative position adjacent the sheet feeding apparatus.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said swivel means is located at the side of said stacking table guide opposite to the side thereof at which said prestacking device is located.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said swivel means comprises a pivot member formed with a pair of spaced jaws, said pivot member being located in one position thereof above said stacking table guide, said jaws defining a space therebetween adapted to receive therein in said position of said pivot member an edge portion of an empty stacking table, and said pivot member being pivotable from said one position thereof with an empty stacking table received in the space between said jaws to another position remote from said stacking table guide.

4. The combination of claim 3, wherein said pivot member is pivotable about an axis extending parallel to said stacking table guide, and stop means for limiting angular displacement of said pivot member between said positions thereof to substantially 5. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said pivot member has a nose portion located adjacent said stacking table guide in said other position of said pivot member for limiting travel of a prestacked stacking table on said stack table guide.

6. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said stacking table guide is provided with parallel guide rails formed with an elongated groove having an arcuate cross section, said stacking tables having universally rotatable bearing balls mounted on the undersides thereof and receivable in said grooves for guidance thereby. 

1. In combination with sheet feeding apparatus for printing presses and sheet processing machines having a stacking table guide for guiding sheets prestacked on a stacking table to the sheet feeding apparatus, a sheet prestacking device located adjacent a side of the stacking table guide and swivel means located adjacent another side of the stacking table guide and formed with a pair of jaws defining a space therebetween wherein an empty stacking table is receivable from the stacking table guide, said swivel means being pivotable with an empty stacking table received in the space between said jaws to a position remote from the stacking table guide so as to free the stacking table guide for guiding a stacking table prestacked with sheets from said sheet prestacking device to an operative position adjacent the sheet feeding apparatus.
 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said swivel means is located at the side of said stacking table guide opposite to the side thereof at which said prestacking device is located.
 3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said swivel means comprises a pivot member formed with a pair of spaced jaws, said pivot member being located in one position thereof above said stacking table guide, said jaws defining a space therebetween adapted to receive therein in said position of said pivot member an edge portion of an empty stacking table, and said pivot member being pivotable from said one position thereof with an empty stacking table received in the space between said jaws to another position remote from said stacking table guide.
 4. The combination of claim 3, wherein said pivot member is pivotable about an axis extending parallel to said stacking table guide, and stop means for limiting angular displacement of said pivot member between said positions thereof to substantially 100*.
 5. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said pivot member has a nose portion located adjacent said stacking table guide in said other position of said pivot member for limiting travel of a prestacked stacking table on said stack table guide.
 6. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said stacking table guide is provided with parallel guide rails formed with an elongated groove having an arcuate cross section, sAid stacking tables having universally rotatable bearing balls mounted on the undersides thereof and receivable in said grooves for guidance thereby. 